DI Women's Basketball

Shawnee State (Ohio) overtakes No. 1 in latest poll

By Katie Green, Manager of Athletic Communications & Media

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –Shawnee State (Ohio) became the third team this year to overtake the No. 1 spot in the 2017-18 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced on Tuesday.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):

-This is the first time that the Bears have ever been ranked No. 1 in the Coaches’ Top 25 Poll

-Shawnee State’s only losses came at the hands of Taylor University (Ind.), Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel (Tenn.) early in the season.

-Oklahoma City holds the longest active streak in the Top 25 with 244 total appearances dating back to 1997-98 school year.

-Union (Tenn.) and Vanguard (Calif.) are the only programs to have spent an entire season ranked No. 1 (Union: 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11) (Vanguard: 2005-06, 2006-07).

-Union (Tenn.) leads all NAIA school with 53 No. 1 rankings. Oklahoma City is second with 50 and Vanguard (Calif.) is third with 44.

Poll Methodology

-The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Association of Independent Institutions and Unaffiliated Groups.

-The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.

-The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.

-Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”

-The frequency of polls occurs bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.